Never Say Die
by Relatively Unknown
Summary: A songfic look at Sasuke and Naruto as future comrades. Non-yaoi. (Sorry, none this time.) Told from the 3rd Person POV.


A/N: I have this thing about cowboy songs and ninjas. For some reason, I just see ninjas  
as the Eastern version of our West's cowboys and outlaws. Who knows, maybe it's just  
me. 

Shiva: It's always just you.

CA: shrugs Eh. Guess I'm used to it. I mean how many people can manage to think of  
way to go from Harry Potter to NASCAR in three moves and in less than two minutes?

Flaitheas: You have them intrigued now, you know.

CA: Probably not, be here goes: in HP his godfather is Sirius, as in Sirius Satellite, which  
sponsors (or used to) Jimmy Spencer's car in NASCAR.

Shiva: Impressive... not.

CA: Ah shaddup. Here's my cowboy-ninja songfic for one of our favorite pairs of rivals.  
(Gai and Kakashi being another! -)

Flaitheas: The song, by the way, is "Never Say Die" by Jon Bon Jovi. It's off the _Young  
Guns II_ soundtrack.

****

SANITIZED: LYRICS HAVE BEEN REMOVED. THIS IS THE FFNET APPROVED, SANITARY, MADE-FOR-KIDDIES VERSION. TO VIEW THE ORIGINAL, GO TO MY SITE AND VENTURE UNDER "THE WORKS" AND THE APPROPRIATE SHOW.

* * *

Despite their constant fighting and arguing, they were inseparable. They teammates,  
rivals, and friends. Both had overcome so much in their lives at young ages, and were  
almost living legends in a way. Complete opposites, and yet very much alike, they were  
the annoyance and pride of Konoha. The balanced each other, and sometimes you  
couldn't tell were one ended and the other began. Sometimes, you'd swear they were one  
entity. And sometimes, you wondered how they had made it this far.

_MISSING WORDS_

Old souls, some said they were, while others preferred calling them upstarting brats.  
Didn't matter to them, they took it all in stride. They knew what they were, and where  
they stood in the world, and that was enough. Both still had their dreams and desires, and  
would never give up on them, but it was safe to say they were content with their lot in  
life, at least for the moment. Some feared them, others mocked them, but everyone agreed  
that they were two of the greatest shinobis Konoha had ever seen, if not the best. They  
weren't without their faults, but they were determined and had a spirit that only came  
around once a generation, if even that.

Yeah, they were tough like that.

_MISSING WORDS_

Sasuke still was waiting for the chance to avenge the death of his parents by killing his  
brother. He had spent many a lonely night brooding in the local tavern, finding comfort in  
a bottle. At times he'd be joined by his near-constant companion, other times he'd be left  
to his own accord. He hadn't changed much. Older in appearance, longer hair, the clothes  
of a jounin, and Sharingan eyes. Same pale skin, same stoic expression. He had become a  
bit more open, but still manage to speak volumes with just a look. He often smirked at  
that thought. He still had the fanclub after him, but it was more of habit than actually love  
for him. He even began to find it an amusing sort of irritation, and had grown so used to it  
that he couldn't remember it any other way. That wasn't to say he wasn't against it  
ending.

Naruto proclaimed his dream of being Hokage just as passionately as he had in his  
younger years. The Ichikaru was still his favorite haunt, and was there as often as Sasuke  
was in the tavern next door. He loved his ramen and now had the ability to claim that he  
had once sold the place out, ordering enough ramen to last him a month's worth of  
missions. He hadn't changed much either, though he did still had a boyish look about  
him. Add to that lighter, shorter hair; some height, though he was still shorter than  
Sasuke; and clothes of a jounin. The most pronounced difference was the change of his  
eyes from a baby blue to an almost purple color, the mixing of Kyuubi's red eyes as well  
as his blue ones. The infamous fox grin hadn't left, and only seemed to appear twice as  
often.

_MISSING WORDS_

They had both made it to the jounin level at the same time, living up to and surpassing  
expectations, respectively. They were both notoriously strong and powerful, and their  
fights (both with enemies and each other) were legendary. It's not without saying that  
their record was spotless-- it wasn't-- but you could give them a mission and know  
without a doubt that they would tackle it as if it was their last. Only a selective few who  
knew the boys, now men, could understand this tenacity. Only they knew that any mission  
just might be these two's last.

Both of them knew it. You could see it in their eyes. Nothing was certain, and any day  
could be their last; they were living on borrowed time, and this fact drove them to  
succeed and survive each time the sun rose and set. It was bittersweet truth, but never  
could you hear them complain about it or wish it was different. If asked, they would tell  
you they wouldn't have had it any other way. Not really. They drew their strength from  
each other, and it was this mutual strength that kept though going, even through the  
darkest of days.

_MISSING WORDS_

There was a wordless agreement between them, that if one was to meet his end, the other  
would take up their cause and unfinished business as his own. Neither had ever said it  
aloud, but it was understood, and words weren't needed. They could you everything about  
the other-- their hopes and dreams; their fears and nightmares; their wins and losses; their  
loves and hates. They knew each other as well as they did themselves, and sometimes  
even better.

One would never back down from the other, and this caused many a confrontation. In  
fact, many enemies had thought that they were after each other more than themselves.  
Maybe that was true, since they were complete opposites. The yin and yang, you could  
call them. But give them a common goal, a common good, anything in common, and they  
worked together as one unit. Many enemies had been confused by how they knew what  
the other would do without a word, as if they could read each other's minds. It was a  
companionship in the truest sense of the word.

_MISSING WORDS_

It was of public opinion that the two would kill each other before either accomplished  
their goals, but that just proved how close they really were. Sasuke and Naruto, Naruto  
and Sasuke. You couldn't think of one without thinking of the other. It made some  
villagers suspicious of just how close was close, but the two insisted they weren't like  
that. They did love each other, but it was a brotherly love. In truth, Naruto still chased  
Sakura, Sakura still chased Sasuke, and Sasuke still ignored it all.

Some things never change.

_MISSING WORDS_

Survive. The word had been ingrained into their minds since childhood, and it was the  
one basic instinct that never wavered. They never gave up and never backed down, no  
matter how indomitable it seemed. They had been part of the group that had taken down  
Orochimaru and most of the Sound; they had hunted various members of the Akatsuki,  
though never getting close enough to Itachi; they had also both taken on the job of ANBU  
several times, being one of the first tag-teams to do so.

They were looked up to for their courage, determination, and strength, but were also  
equally looked down on for their bad habits and bad examples. They had a tendency for  
going overboard, pushing the limit, and generally setting a bad example. Naruto had taken  
on the pervertedness of two of his senseis, though not to their extremes, and had a  
penchant for being overly dramatic; Sasuke was often seen drinking, though rarely drunk,  
in public, and had a bit of a hunger for blood and destruction. Not anywhere near Itachi's,  
but it was still there. They weren't perfect and didn't try to be. That's what made them  
great.

_MISSING WORDS_

They'd often manage to drag themselves home after a mission, tired and cranky, but  
satisfied. They'd be torn and bloody, but everyone knew that their nemeses were just as  
shredded, though more than likely they were worse off than the two. Sometimes they  
were greeted by a friend or a genin who looked up to them if time and schedules allowed  
it, but even when there was no one, they knew they were welcomed back.

Often times you could find them on the bridge, their bridge, talking about missions past  
and missions to come. Anyone who came along could join in, and sometimes there'd be a  
crowd of people, creating impromptu reunions. Sasuke was still the loner and Naruto was  
still the center of attention, but they managed to make it work.

Sometimes, when it would be just them, they would wonder if anyone would be waiting  
for them when the day finally came and they didn't come back. And if so, who would be?  
Sakura? Kakashi? Iruka? Konohamaru and his friends? Would anyone be there? These  
were never sad thoughts, but rather, just curious ones. They knew what would happen one  
day, and they accepted it.

They wouldn't have it any other way.

_MISSING WORDS  
_

Some had seen it coming, to others it was a complete shock. Either way, it was day that  
no one would ever forget. But you know, you could ask anyone, and they'd all tell you the  
same: they were still as wild and free as they had ever been. Untamed spirits that were  
larger than life, and that was something that could never end, could never die. But you  
know, they were like that.

Yeah, they were immortal like that.

_MISSING WORDS_

* * *

CA: Well, there you go. What happened at the end? Well, I'll leave it to your  
imaginations. You can flame me for that. I don't care.

Flaitheas: I think I can see you're connection between cowboys and ninjas now.

Shiva: Spike Dudley is hot.

CA: And that has to do with this how?

Shiva: It doesn't. John Cena is hot, too.

CA: Not that I'm disagreeing, believe me, I'm not, but do you think you can stick to the  
topic at hand?

Flaitheas: Give it up. It's a lost cause.

CA: Yeah, I know. She's like that. - Well, you know the drill, review please!


End file.
